MORA GONE!

per ESPN news.

 

ESPN:

Updated: Jan. 1, 2007, 1:23 PM ET
Falcons fire Mora after disappointing 7-9 seasonAssociated Press


FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta fired coach Jim Mora on Monday, just two years after he led the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game.

The decision to dump the fiery coach followed two straight disappointing seasons. The Falcons lost six of their final eight games in 2005 to miss the playoffs, and they finished 7-9 this season by losing seven of the last nine contests.

Owner Arthur Blank made the announcement at the team's suburban training complex.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

 

Mora fired as Falcons seek new direction
By STEVE WYCHE, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/01/07

Flowery Branch — Falcons coach Jim Mora was fired today — New Year's Day — as team owner Arthur Blank deemed the direction of the team needed to be changed.

Mora's three-year tenure ended with a tumultuous three-game losing streak that brought his overall record to 26-22. Mora is the second coach in the franchise's 41-year history to be fired with a winning record.

The brunt of that success came in Mora's first season, when, as a first-time head coach, he guided the Falcons to an 11-5 regular season record and a berth in the NFC championship game.

Since then, the Falcons have gone 15-17, including a 7-9 mark this season, the only losing record in Mora's tenure. Atlanta lost 7 of its last 9 games, continuing a two-year trend of failure after a strong start. The Falcons started 6-2 in 2005 but finished 8-8.

Atlanta, despite having one of the NFL's larger payrolls, failed to make the playoffs for two straight years.

Mora was the second coach fired today, with Arizona's Dennis Green also getting his pink slip.

Off the field, Mora hurt himself when he insulted former Falcons' offensive linemen Jeff Van Note and Mike Kenn last season, claiming their willingness to talk to the media - unlike his linemen - did not help them pull most of their teams out of their losing ways. In a radio interview three weeks ago, said he would leave his current job to coach at the University of Washington, his alma mater.

Those prompted damage control by the franchise and angered Blank, especially the recent radio interview in which Mora said he was joking.

Blank, Rich McKay and a search committee will now begin the process of finding a replacement. The formulation of a candidate list had already taken place before the decision to fire Mora, a team source said last week.

The process could take weeks, as some candidates could be coaching in the playoffs or could be working under uncertain circumstances.

Possible replacements could include: Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, Norm Chow; University of Louisville coach Bobby Petrino; Jim Caldwell, assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach Indianapolis; Ron Rivera, defensive coordinator, Bears; Cam Cameron, offensive coordinator, Chargers; Mike Tomlin, defensive coordinator, Vikings; Mike Singletary, assistant head coach, LB coach, 49ers; Ken Whisenhunt, offensive coordinator, Steelers; Steve Mariucci, former Lions, 49ers head coach and University of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.

 

Mike Singletary would be my sentimental choice. I would not mind seeing Norm Chow get a chance.

 

the first question any candidate should ask is "if putting a team on the field that gives us the best chance to win doesn't include Vick as the starting QB do you have a problem with that?" I think you can eliminate any defensive minded coach from the list also. Blank wants some one who'll make Vick a decent QB so he doesn't look like an idiot for the big ass contract he gave him.

 

Vick is a productive QB and the Falcons are better off with him than someone like Schaub, but he's not a good passer. Trying to make him one would be misguided. That said, Blank clearly lets him have too much input. You can't have your team run by the players. Not even Michael Jordan was allowed to do that, and Vick is far from being a dominating player anyway.

 

eh, i guess i'm just nitpicking, but if jordan ever said he wanted a coach gone, it was gonna happen. regardless, who gives a shit. happy new year.

 

7

 

Actually that's not accurate. Jordan famously clashed with Chicago GM Jerry Krause because he wanted some input and Krause didn't believe that players should be involved in those decisions.

 

The owner would have ousted Krause long before he ousted Jordan. Everyone, even Krause, knew that. That was around the time Jordan got the ~30 mil one year contract.